Voting NO on props 60, 61 and 101 in November

Douglas Bruce wants funding taken away from libaries and asscoiated museums, and programs libraries provide.

http://www.coloradolibraries.org/2010/0 ... on-walker/

Personally, I spend a lot of time in the Denver Public Library, and Evergreen, and even Bailey's library - and are busy - DPL is often packed with people. People are getting books, using the internet, doing research - even the research floor is a lot busier than it was this time last year. People are going for the entertainments they can afford. Yet the new legislation would cut funding so that libraries and library services are completely shut down.

I'm voting NO on these propositions. If all they are taking out of my vehicle registration is $4.06 to do something useful like keep the libraries open, then I'm all for it.


How exactly is this *radio edit* still in office? http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15281356?source=rss_viewed

I will be supporting these bills. Everyone else has been tightening their belts, why can't goverment do the same? If people want libraries, they will vote for them.

BTW, don't you think libraries are becoming outdated as information sources with the internet?

I haven't read the propositions but I feel libraries still serve a valuable function.

People still read books and can't always afford to buy them. Some are assigned for school, others simply of interest. As for research, not everyone can afford a computer or the internet and they can access the 'net from the library.

I am not sure how I will vote on any of these yet, from what I have seen they are meant to limit spending, bonds, and taxes, but possibly go too far too fast. I don't know enough yet.

I think the intro to this thread may be misleading, I don't remember that these amendments target libraries specifically, just general spending, bonds, and taxes.

If we had not been restricted by Tabor, Colorado's state budget would be in deeper doo, like California. I think reasonable limits are necessary because I don't trust politicians to manage the budgets, they spend like drunken sailors during the good times. There are no points for being frugal in politics. I may vote yes on some and no on others.

Libraries need to stay open but get more efficient and cut costs.

SS109 wrote: I will be supporting these bills. Everyone else has been tightening their belts, why can't goverment do the same. If people want libraries, they will vote for them.

BTW, don't you think libraries are becoming outdated as information sources with the internet?

Do you know how much stuff is in the reference section of DPL alone that has not been digitized and is important information? If they shut it down, the stuff eventually ends in a landfill. I don't see many people lining up to scan and digitize these documents, voice recordings, microfiche. the amount of information NOT digitized is staggering, and will take decades of dedicated work to make it so.

So no, the internet doesn't win. And the number of folks with access to the internet is much smaller than you may be assuming. In fact, a large percentage of folk access the internet guess where? The library.

I'm going to hope you are not suggesting we continue to further the have and have not gap, where a personal library is a sign of wealth and illiteracy is commonplace.

The point you aren't getting is that this IS voting for libraries - and all kinds of other services.

I think libraries are still needed. I also think that every area of government needs to cut back. I personally have only used the library 3 times in the last ten years, but don't mind if they stay open on a reduced budget.

I'll be voting for every proposition that Doug Bruce is involved in. I am sick of the attacks by our local big government proponents to censor him - he has my 100% support. Doug Bruce is largly responsible for the Taxpayers Bill Of Rights - and has saved Colorado taxpayers millions. He has done more for us than any taxing/spending politician.

I think the majority of voters will agree this time around.

saving millions at the expense of necessary services? I can't back that. It doesn't matter who backs it, it matters what it says.

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stori ... ily17.html

Proposition 101 would nearly eliminate vehicle registration fees, reduce state income taxes and end all state charges on phone and Internet services except for 911 fees.

Amendment 60 would reverse a 2007 legislative decision that froze property-tax rates for most school districts rather than allow them to continue dropping.

Amendment 61 — would prohibit state and local governments from taking on debt without voter approval, stopping the use of bond-like “certificates of participation” that colleges often use to construct buildings.

saving millions at the expense of necessary services? I can't back that

It must be those vehicle registration fees that has some money going to libraries?

Here's my opinion. State and local governments are way over bloated these days. The size of these governments kept growing and growing and when the recession started they just kept whining that they didn't have enough money. So what's new right?

We all may have one specific part of some government program or service that we like - and if we all were able to keep growing that specific part because I like the service or you like the service - nothing would change.

If you agree that government in general is too big - we must cut it all. No one - anywhere in local government is going to tell you that they are over funded. They all want to keep growing - even in these times where many are out of work or just struggling to get by.

If we left Government to it's own devices - it would continue to grow and place an even heavier burden on us all - just at a time when we can not afford the increases.

In many cases - these government's are not even looking at a reduced budget, but just a reduction in the rate that they can grow their budgets. I'm here to say that not only do they have to stop growing - they have to figure out how to do more with less, just as the taxpayers are having to do more with less.

The hard part here is putting them on a diet. They want to keep growing - and it's killing us. These prop's coming up are the only way we taxpayers can pull back the reins. We can always re-fund these services at any time in the future if the voters approve more money for them.

The hard part is getting government to reduce itself in size. It's easy to grow government. We could cut libraries budgets quite a bit - and their services would still be available for everyone to use. We could cut state and local governments quite a bit - they aren't going out of business anytime soon. They will still be here long after all the private businesses go OUT of business because their tax burden and a poor economy drove them to close.

They will be in business long after our homes are forclosed upon - because we can't afford them anymore. We are in a recession, government budgets need to reflect this reality, and when times get better - we can think about growing them again.

I remember when TABOR first came up before voters and my SIL, a firefighter, told me police would lose their jobs and 1/2 the fire departments would have to close. Neither of those things have happened, crime has gone down, home fire rates have gone down.

Personally I love libraries, and have spent many hours in them, but I think they need to trim their budgets, just like taxpayers have.

Next year we face increased federal taxes on energy, value added services, capital gains. At least lets trim the local taxes we can.